Inconceivable
by Rose Stetson
Summary: Sequel to Surprises. SG1 finds an ancient temple that could hold the secrets of Greek mythology. Could it hold more than that?
1. Dionysus

**Inconceivable**

_Set a year after "Surprises" ends between seasons 8 and 9_

_Friendly reminders: Janet's not dead, Jack's in command of SGC._

"So, Daniel…this temple…what's the significance?" Jack asked, as they walked up to the large Parthenon-like structure with its pillars and marble walls.

"Well, this temple was built to worship Hermes, the Greek god. He was the messenger and as such ruled over travelers and roads and doorways. In addition, some worshipped him as a god of fertility, others as a god of dreams, and he's also well-known as the protector of sheep and cattle. This is particularly fascinating because on Earth, Hermes was one of the…lesser gods. There weren't any temples constructed to honor Hermes. Maybe we can learn more about his value in Greek mythology by studying his importance to these people." Daniel said, in response.

There was a pause as Jack absorbed the information. "Right."

"Jack, just because you don't appreciate the significance doesn't mean that it's not important. We have to see this."

"Yes, and I'm here…because…?" He prompted.

"Because initial tests indicate that this is a viable location for a research colony. You said that you wanted to see first-hand any viable research colony planets, so…you're here." Sam said as they walked up the steps to the temple. "And I wanted to get permission to study a piece of technology we found in the temple that Daniel figured might be important."

"But I thought you said you still don't know what it is!" Jack protested.

"That's why I want to study it, Jack…"

"But on a lighter note, she didn't mention that you're barely willing to let her out of your sight..." Daniel said, teasingly.

"Hey, just because I don't like the idea of someone else watching my wife's six doesn't mean that I don't want to let her out of my sight."

"Oh really?" Sam asked, skeptically. "You have to admit it, you've been a little…clingy since Grace was born."

"I never heard you complain before…" Jack said, a less than innocent twinkle in his eyes.

"OH!" Daniel groaned, closing his eyes in protest. "I SO didn't want to even think about you two…"

"Procreating, Daniel Jackson?"

"Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel said, his eyes firmly shut as he tried to forget the whole conversation.

"Hey, just because we had one 'immaculate conception' doesn't mean that we want to have another." Jack said, seriously.

Sam laughed and shook her head. She knew full well that Jack was only pressing the issue further to keep getting a good reaction out of Daniel, and…as usual, it worked.

"AGH!"

"Jack, leave Daniel alone. Just because he and Janet have started dating doesn't mean that he really understands the birds and the bees." Sam said, a smirk on her face as she walked toward the power source of the device she wanted to study.

Daniel, surprised, stopped howling. "Wait! How'd you know we were dating?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "A) I talk to Cassie regularly, and she told me you've been there for breakfast more than a couple of times."

Daniel turned scarlet at this point.

"And B) Janet and I compare stories sometimes."

"WHAT?" Came the response from both Jack and Daniel as Jack's face turned a light pink and Daniel's became fuchsia.

"Gotcha." She said, with a grin as she looked around the corner from where she was about to begin working.

Both men looked at one another and then at her. "Let's just pretend that didn't happen." Jack whispered.

"I'm with you."

Only a few minutes later, as Daniel began working on translating the ruins and Jack approached Sam, who had opened the power source at the base of this platform. Strange as it sounded, Jack thought it looked remarkably like the beaming platform in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Not that he ever watched any of that…SciFi stuff…

"So…is it cool?" Jack asked, standing near her.

She looked up at him, amused. "I'm sure it is, I just haven't had enough time to figure out how cool, Jack."

"Oh."

She laughed. "Come on, why'd you really want to come with me this time?"

"Well, Sam, it's been exactly eighteen months since we got married."

She looked up at him. "You're serious, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"I can't believe that I forgot that!" She said, trying to put the crystals back into the device.

"Sam, I wasn't saying that to make you feel guilty, I just thought that we could spend some quality time together…you know, the way we did twenty-one months ago."

She looked at him. "Trapped in a blue beam together as I was…impregnated?"

"Yeah…that."

She laughed again. "You're something else."

"I know…and thank you."

"Unfortunately, our daughter thinks that your something else is normal…"

"Lucky me."

She went back to work before he sat on the platform. "Sam…I know this probably isn't the place or the time, but…"

"But what?" She asked, still working.

"You're not turning this thing on, are you?" Jack asked, looking down at the platform where he was sitting, somewhat nervously.

"No. As far as I can tell, we'll have to go back and get a naquadah reactor before it'll start up. I'm just trying to figure out how best to attach it to a reactor, and…the possible outcomes of that decision."

"Ah. Good. As I was saying…Sam…"

"Jack!" Daniel said, running into the room, some crayon rubbings in his hands.

"Daniel! You always knew how to ruin a moment, didn't you!"

Daniel looked up from his paper. "What?"

"Never mind…what is it?" Sam asked.

"Well, it turns out that Hermes was actually Dionysus's…governor. He took over this planet like it was his own, but…Dionysus was the one who defended it and represented it in the realm of the system lords."

"Dionysus?" Jack asked, confused.

"Think Hathor's twin brother, and you get the general idea…"

"Ah."

"I guess I'd better run away before I have no choice but to do his will." Sam said, with a teasing grin in reference to the men's first encounter with the Queen Seductress as she was called in the SGC's female circles.

"Actually, Dionysus was bisexual…men and women would have…interested him."

"So, he was friends with everybody?"

"Basically."

"Nice guy." Jack said, glancing at Sam, who hid a chuckle.

"That's not the point. I think I've just learned more about Greek mythology than I ever thought I would." Daniel said, pushing his glasses further onto the bridge of his nose as he looked back at his rubbings of the temple.

"Good for you. Go and…hypothesize. Let me know what happens…" Jack said, still as interested as a horsefly.

"Thanks, I think I will." The archaeologist said, returning to where Teal'c stood, analyzing some of the glyphs barely looking up from the papers in his hands..

"Sometimes I'm able to forget that he's a geek, and then…"

She smiled. "I know."

Jack stood as Sam placed the crystals back into their place at the base of the platform. He stepped up and began walking on it. "Anyway, back to what I was saying…I think we should…"

The platform illuminated and Jack turned to Sam. "Hey! I thought you said this thing was dead!"

"I thought it was!"

She reached down to remove the crystals again, but as she reached out to it, the energy of the shield now surrounding the platform shocked her so badly that she was sent sprawling and landed, unconscious a few feet away.

"Sam!" Jack called as he ran to aid her, but he hit the barrier. His breath caught. This was so much like the time when they had been wearing the armbands…except he was stuck and she was unconscious on the other side.

All of a sudden, a beam shot out from the center of the platform and scanned the entire protected area. His face contorted in pain as the beam landed on him. Dizziness and nausea were his only companions as he fell to the ground after the shield deactivated. Then, he passed out.

Daniel and Teal'c heard the commotion and hurried from the other room to find Sam and Jack lying sprawled out in their respective places around the room. Daniel ran to Sam as Teal'c ran to Jack. Each checked their pulses, and Daniel checked the back of Sam's head that had hit the wall opposite from Jack.

"We've got to get them to the infirmary." Daniel said, looking at Teal'c.

"Indeed. O'Neill's pulse is weak and rapid."

"So is Sam's and I think she's going to have one hell of a goose egg."


	2. Recovery

Sam awoke in the infirmary, the fluorescent lights beating her retinas mercilessly. "Agh!" She said, closing her eyes and bringing her hands up to her eyes much like her husband.

"Sam!" Janet said, coming over, chart in hand. "How are you feeling?"

"I think this is the worst headache I've ever experienced in my life."

Janet smiled appreciatively. "I can give you something for it, if you'd like."

"Please." She said, still refusing to look at the light.

"All right. It will be just a minute." She turned to leave before Sam opened her eyes. "Jack...where's Jack?"

Janet looked over at the bed to the left side of Sam's cot. "He's still unconscious."

"What?"

"I don't know what that device did, but...it did a doozey on both you and General O'Neill."

"Really?"

"Sam, you've been unconscious for about three days. Cassie's been watching Grace for you."

Sam shot out of bed. "THREE DAYS?"

Her head swam with dizziness, and she sank back onto the pillow, trying to regain some semblance of orientation. "Other than that, is she okay?"

Janet nodded. "Take it easy. You've been through a lot."

Sam sighed. "Take it easy...take it easy..."

"Sam, you've had an interesting year. Admit it. It takes time to bounce back from getting pregnant, from getting married, from having a baby...and on top of that, you almost lost your husband. Sam...I'm surprised that you're still able to do so much of this."

Sam's eyes drooped in sleep. "Yeah..."

"Get some rest." Janet admonished. "I'll keep watching General O'Neill."

--

He awoke, the dizziness and nausea still persistent since his injury. "Doc?" He asked, hoarsely.

"General...how're you feeling?"

"Like I'm going to throw up on the ceiling."

Janet smiled. "Well, sir, that seems to be the effects of the device that you were stranded in for those few moments on SG-1's mission."

"Sam okay?"

"She's fine. She has had the headache from you know where, but...she'll be just fine." Janet stepped closer. "Honestly, sir, you're the one I'm worried about. You were unconscious for a good five days...two days longer than Sam."

"And she's okay?"

"Yes, sir. She is. She wanted to be here, but Grace was at home and worried about you both."

"Grace...is she okay?"

"Yes, General. Now, get some rest. I'm going to call Sam, and...as long as neither of you over-do it, I don't see why she can't bring Grace over for a visit."

"Thanks, Doc."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Now...get some sleep."

He obeyed, almost afraid that to refuse would be something to regret. Besides, he was suddenly overwhelmed with a feeling of complete and utter exhaustion.

--

"Wow..." Daniel said, pouring over his notes.

"What is it?" He turned to find Sam and Grace standing in the doorway.

"Sam!"

She smiled. "Hey...what'd you find?"

"Well, apparently, Dionysus was a Queen goa'uld. Like Hathor."

"You're kidding." She said, the year-old Grace in her arms.

"No...that's what made the goa'uld bisexual. The host was attracted to females, but the symbiote needed the male..."

"I get the picture..."

"Yeah, anyway...I guess Dionysus was accidentally placed in a male host before the mistake was discovered, but for some reason, the goa'uld didn't want to be transferred...I suppose he- or rather, she- had some big experiment going on."

"What make you so sure about that?"

"Well...the text in the temple speaks about the Chosen ones. They were, well, they were treated like royalty. They were sent into Dionysus's chambers and came out...fruitful."

"You mean, pregnant."

"Well, I don't know exactly."

"You don't know?"

"Well, I mean...the text mentions that both male and female humans were 'chosen' and..."

"Men can't get pregnant."

"Yep."

She nodded. "Well, I was on my way to see Jack, wanna come with?"

"Sure. Just...just a minute."

"No problem."

--

They walked into the infirmary, where they found Jack lying on his back, in as grumpy a mood as ever. "Doc! I'm fine! Just let me out of here!"

"General, I don't want to hear another word from you. You are still somewhat anemic, and I want to keep you in here for observation."

"Anemic? That's Sam! I'm never anemic! You sure you don't have our records switched?"

"I'm sure, General!"

"I have a base to run! I can't be in here!"

"Well, then you have a problem because I'm not letting you out of here!"

"Da-ee!" Grace said, arms outstretched as she caught sight of Jack. Janet gave a grateful smile to Sam, who had just walked in with Daniel and Grace.

"You play dirty!" Jack said, glaring at Janet. She walked away, shrugging. After taking a deep breath, Jack opened his arms, a clear sign to the toddler that she was needed to fill them. She tried to squirm out of Sam's arms, practically leaping from her mother to her father.

"And how's Daddy's little princess?" Jack asked, one finger on her tummy.

She giggled in response before throwing her arms around her father's neck. She nuzzled into his neck before pulling away and giving him a wet sloppy kiss.

Jack chuckled. "That's my big girl!"

Sam smiled at the exchange. There was no questioning that Grace was Daddy's little girl. She had been practically since the day she'd been conceived. After all, thelittle girl had waited to be born until her father had been revivedfrom his cryogenic stasis after saving the planet. But the fact that he was so good with her hadn't hurt her adoration for him.

"How're you feeling?" Sam asked after Jack got Grace settled in the crook of his arm against his side.

"Good, now that you're here. Of course, I'd be better if I could LEAVE." He said, loudly enough for Janet to hear.

She pulled back the curtain quickly. "No, sir. You're still experiencing the effects of the device. Now, you can protest all you want, but it will do absolutely no good. You are staying in that bed until I tell you that you can leave."

Grace looked up at the doctor, her eyes wide with surprise. "Da-ee tuble?"

"Daddy's not in trouble, sweetheart." Sam said, soothingly. "He's being grumpy and Aunt Janet's telling him to stop throwing a tantrum. Just like Mommy does to you."

She turned to look at her father. "You time-out!" She exclaimed, seriously.

The adults all chuckled, and Jack hugged the little girl close. It felt so good to have this little one around. It gave him a sense of youthful vitality that he hadn't experienced since Charlie.

That was why he had wanted to ask Sam about having another baby...a planned new arrival to their family. He yawned, suddenly overcome by a sense of extreme exhaustion.

"Okay, everybody out!" Janet said, watching the General's behavior.

"But I was about to..." Daniel began.

"You too, Daniel." She said, firmly.

"Okay."

Sam walked over and kissed Jack softly. "Hey...get better, all right?"

Jack nodded, his eyes drooping in sleep as Sam picked up Grace. "Say good-bye to Daddy. We have to go home now."

She threw her arms around his neck. "No! Mommy!"

Sam took a deep breath and pried the little fingers from around Jack's neck. By now, he was snoring soundly. "Daddy has to take a nap, and so does Gracie."

She pouted. "Bye-bye Da-ee!"

He managed to mumble a response. Sam mentally thought to ask Janet what sedatives she had placed Jack on. They seemed to be rather powerful ones as it was incredibly uncharacteristic of Jack to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation.


	3. Revelations

Jack awoke to find General Hammond, Sam and Janet whispering quietly in the corner. "I'd like to keep him in the infirmary until I can figure out just what it is we're dealing with, but…the base needs to be run."

"Don't worry about that, Doctor. That's why I'm here."

"I don't know…while Jack keeps joking that he wants General Hammond to come back…I'm not sure he'll be happy that it's taking place because he got affected by an alien device."

"Would you three stop talking about me as if I wasn't here?" He interrupted.

"General!" Janet said, walking over. "I didn't know you were awake."

"I noticed." He growled. This was NOT his day.

"Jack? Are you okay? Or are you in pain?" Sam asked, a concerned look in her eye.

"I'm fine!" He barked. Instantly, he softened. "I'm sorry. I just…I'm sick of staying here in the infirmary, helpless."

Sam and Janet looked at one another and then at General Hammond. This seemed remarkably like a…mood swing?

"Jack, are you sure you're okay?" Sam asked, cautiously.

"Yes! Why?"

"Just checking." She said, throwing a questioning glance to Janet.

"Well, General…I think you'll be okay to go home for a few hours a day, once I get some tests done. Now, I still want you to spend the night in the infirmary, but…I think going home every once in a while would be okay."

"Great."

Janet went and retrieved a couple of syringes that she would use to draw blood.

"Well, Jack…you just focus on getting yourself all taken care of. I'll be here to take care of whatever needs to be taken care of. Although, I think the President may want to talk to you about your policy regarding your own off-world travel…" He added with a wry smile.

"Thank you, sir." He said, wincing as Janet drew some blood.

"I should be able to have the test results in a few minutes, okay?" She asked, looking between Sam and Jack.

"Thanks, Janet."

Jack huffed and crossed his arms. "Jack?"

"What?"

"What's wrong? I mean, you were fine when Grace was here, but…I don't think I've ever seen you get so snippy."

"Sam, I'm a general. I'm supposed to be in my office complaining about the paperwork, but no…I'm here, complaining about being in the infirmary!"

Sam raised her eyebrows, partly in understanding, and partly in discomfort. "Okay…Jack, you said there was something you wanted to talk about when we were on that planet. We have some time…let's talk."

Jack bit his lip. Maybe he should soften up before he tried asking her what he wanted to ask her…after all, she was the one who would have to do the most work.

"You know, it's…it's really not that important."

"Jack, I'm sure it was. Now, what did you want to ask me?"

"No, really…it…it's nothing."

"Jack." She said, a serious look in her eyes.

"Okay…you asked for it."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He took a deep breath. Just because you feel like , doesn't mean you should take it out on Sam, he reminded himself.

"Nothing. It means nothing."

"Jack, if you don't want to talk, then fine." She said, getting up, angrily.

"Sam, please." He said, motioning to the chair she had been seated in earlier. "I've been…I've been acting like a jerk. I'm sorry."

She took a deep breath. "That's better."

"I was going to ask you if…" He stopped. He REALLY didn't want to be having this conversation in the infirmary where the nurses would overhear, or heaven forbid…Janet should hear. "It's really personal. Can we talk about it at home?"

She closed her eyes in exasperation. "Sure. If that's what you want to do."

He hated the look that she gave him when she reluctantly let him call the shots. "Okay…Sam…"

"What?" She asked, seriously concerned, and starting to get weary of the whole conversation.

"I…" 'want to have another baby' just sounded weird to him. "I…Sam, I'm not getting any younger."

She was quiet as she waited for him to finish his statement.

"And…I was wondering if…we could start…"

"You want to have another baby?" She asked, surprised.

He nodded, cautiously, almost waiting for her reaction.

"Wow…uh…" She coughed in discomfort. "Well…Jack…I…"

"Sam, we don't have to start right now, but…"

"No, Jack…just…let me…finish."

"Finish what?"

"Thinking."

"You'll never finish thinking." He said, a look of adoration clearly written in his eyes.

For some reason, it touched Sam, and she leaned in, pressing her forehead to his and looking him in the eyes. "You get better, and I promise…we'll try to have another baby." She said, before kissing him on his lips. "Besides…maybe we'll try to do it without the beam thingie this time."

"Thingie?" He asked.

"That's the technical term, I hear." She said with a chuckle as she pulled away and sat back upright.

"You know I love you, don't you?" Jack asked, a tender smile on his lips at the thought of the possibility that their little family might get just a little bit bigger.

Janet coughed. "Sorry to interrupt this…Hallmark moment." She said, a faltering teasing grin on her face. "But I have your test results back."

"Already?" Sam asked, surprised.

"Actually, these are tests that I ran this morning. The others are merely follow-up tests."

"What is it, Doc?" Jack asked, sensing the turmoil in the Doctor's voice.

"I don't know how to tell you this…" She began.

Sam's heart dropped. It never bode well when any doctor started a sentence with those words.

"But you're pregnant, sir."

Jack raised his eyebrows with incomprehension. "I'm WHAT?"

"He's WHAT?" Sam followed, her eyes as wide as saucers.

"I know…but it explains a lot: the exhaustion, anemia, even the mood swings."

"Mood swings?" Jack asked, seriously wondering whether or not the CMO of the base had lost her mind.

"Janet, what are you talking about?" Sam asked. "It's the estrogen levels that skyrocket during pregnancy that cause the mood swings, not the actual pregnancy itself."

Janet nodded and reached for Jack's chart. "His testosterone levels have skyrocketed, thus indicating the aggressive attitude we were experiencing earlier. And, the trace amounts of estrogen that he has naturally are climbing steadily."

She looked at her friends as she paused. They both looked like they had been hit by a semi.

"Now, I'd like to run a sonogram just to make sure, but…all the evidence is pointing to Jack's pregnancy."

Sam closed her eyes, trying to process the information. She inhaled deeply a few times, reminding herself that there was a great HUGE possibility that this was all just a bad dream.

"Unfortunately, General, I would like you to stay in the infirmary while I check up on some of these tests."

"Great." He said, sarcastically.

She turned to leave, but Sam stopped her. "Wait a minute, for a woman, pregnancy doesn't even show on any type of test until between the fourth and sixth week. Jack was in the device ten days ago. This doesn't make any sense."

Janet shrugged. "There's a whole lot about this that doesn't make any sense to me, Sam. Starting with the fact that anatomically, General O'Neill should not be able to conceive."

Sam paled. "The Chosen." She said, with a horrified look that had Janet wondering if she was going to pass out.

"Sam, are you okay?"

"I'll be right back." She said, stumbling as she got out of the chair and ran to Daniel's office.

"I hope she remembers that it's bad luck to tell anyone before the third month." Jack said, a sardonic edge to his voice.


	4. Venting

Sam hurried into Daniel's lab where she found him bent over the desk, a couple of reference books alongside the digital video images and crayon rubbings from the temple.

"Daniel!" She said, urgently.

He looked up, startled. "What?"

Sam walked in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle to you."

"You're fine." He said returning to his work. "How's Jack?"

"Grumpy. He's tired of being in the infirmary, but Janet's not sure what he needs."

"Well, it could be worse." He said, absently.

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "How? I've been switching my time between the infirmary and my house. My daughter is clinging to me when I am home because she is teething, and my husband is clamming up because he is PREGNANT!" She ranted before taking a deep breath with her eyes closed, trying desperately to find her happy place.

"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel asked, setting down the resource books, not entirely processing what she'd just said.

She placed a hand on her head "I'm sorry, Daniel. You didn't deserve that. I'm…I'm just tired and overwhelmed."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "Kind of like that fight you and Jack had about whether or not you were really married after you found out you were expecting…" Daniel's eyes widened. "Did you just say that JACK is pregnant?"

She nodded quickly, taking a deep breath as she did so.

"Whoa!"

Sam gave him a tight smile. "Oh, yeah…"

"No wonder he's cranky."

Sam shot him a look, and he chuckled nervously in response. "Not that pregnant women are unduly cranky."

She seemed to accept this as an apology because she walked over to look at his notes. "How's the translation coming?"

He looked back at the desk piled high with papers and books. "Ah…slow."

"What do you mean?

"Sam, the walls are full of the history…you know, the obligatory "Dionysus is our god" stuff…"

"Okay…" She said, wondering what this had to do with her husband's condition.

"Well, like I said earlier, Dionysus was bisexual because the queen was placed inside a male host."

"Yes."

"Well, apparently, this device was created to end centuries of this symbiote's barrenness."

"Why didn't the symbiote just switch hosts?" Sam asked, pointing out the flaw in his logic.

"Because the queens were only used to breed. They were never given positions of power other than that of the passing of their genetic memory. They were rarely granted the position of system lord."

"So, he felt inferior."

"Exactly." Daniel said, nodding. "He was looking for a way to harness his power as a queen to make him the most powerful system lord in the galaxy. However, that made him look into male conception."

"Male conception? That's biologically impossible, Daniel."

"I know…but that's all I have right now."

"So, this device is the product of that research?"

"Well, given Jack's current condition after interacting with the device…yes."

"But the text doesn't say what it does…"

"Not yet."

Sam took a deep breath as she brought her hands to her face, almost as though in prayer. She released it quickly as she let her hands drop to the side. "Well, keep us posted."

He nodded. "Sure."

She turned to leave, but his voice stopped her. "Hey, Sam!"

She turned back toward him, a weary look in her eyes. "Yes?"

"If you need anything…"

"Thanks." She said, quickly, taking another deep breath.


	5. How?

Sam arrived to the infirmary to see no sign of Jack. She turned to the nurse. "Where's General O'Neill?"

"I'm sorry. He's not allowed any visitors."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "He's not allowed visitors?"

"Dr. Fraiser's orders…"

Sam's heart started racing. What if something had gone wrong? Men weren't built to carry the babies that they fathered…

"Is he okay?" She asked, grabbing the young woman by the arms.

"I…I don't know." She stammered in surprise.

"Sam!" Janet said, hurrying into the room.

She let go of the nurse and met Janet halfway across the room. "How is Jack?"

"Oh, he's fine. I just thought he would be more comfortable in a private room with few visitors."

"Few? So…there are people who are allowed inside, right?"

"Of course." Janet said, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Who told you otherwise?"

The nurse who had been helping Sam earlier scuttled away.

Janet shook it off. "Never mind, I'll deal with it later." She led Sam into the room. "I'm about ready to do Jack's sonogram.

Sam tensed, and Janet turned. "Sam, are you okay?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, this is just…this is a lot to deal with."

Janet gave her a small, supportive smile. "It is for him too.'

She nodded again, this time trying to connect with her well of inner strength. "Thanks."

She walked into the room to find Jack with his shirt off and his pants unbuttoned. He looked distinctly uncomfortable with the idea of being so exposed.

"Hey." She said, trying to give him a warm smile as she walked in.

Jack gave her a strained smile in response. "Hi."

"I hear it's time for the first sonogram." She said, taking a seat next to him the way he had sat next to her for all of Grace's sonograms.

"Okay, General, let's see for sure what we're dealing with." Janet said, rolling in the equipment.

"Sure…why not." Jack said, sarcastically. "After all, I've already stripped for the occasion."

Janet squirted the lubricant onto his stomach and he winced. "Jeez! That's cold!"

"Sorry." Janet said, apologetically.

"Was it cold when you had your sonograms?" He asked his wife.

She smiled, a hint of amusement shining in her eyes. "Probably."

"And you didn't complain? I would have gotten Janet to at least heat it up for you…"

"To be honest, I only noticed for the initial contact. After that…I couldn't have cared if it was freezing." She said, shrugging.

As Janet placed he wand on the gel and expertly whipped the wand around his abdomen, thinning out the layer of gel covering his stomach, they heard a swishing sound emanating from the monitor. This genuinely surprised all three adults in the room, and Janet quickly pulled up a visual. She gaped at the image. "General, you're nine weeks pregnant."

"Okay…that's not possible. What about morning sickness?"

"What about time?" Janet asked, more seriously.

Sam stared at the screen, a sick feeling in her stomach. "Check the results of my last pre-mission blood test." She said, faintly.

Janet and Jack looked over, puzzled. "Why?"

Sam's emotions were frozen with shock. "Because I think I experienced his morning sickness."


	6. Oops

"Well, you're onto something." Janet said, walking into the room with Sam's chart in hand. "Your pre-mission blood test showed significantly raised levels of estrogen while your post-mission blood test indicated a normal amount of estrogen. Now, in comparison with General O'Neill's chart, the difference in your estrogen levels seems to have been passed to General O'Neill alongside the fetus, placenta, and fetal sac. Only, his body is reading it as testosterone, which is indicated by his drastically altered testosterone levels."

Jack was absolutely shell-shocked. "So, you're saying that if I hadn't gone to P4X 659, Sam would be the one pregnant."

"It sure looks like that."

Jack let his head fall back to rest on the pillow of the hospital bed as Sam sat, fingers clasped together, hunched over so that her chin nearly touched her knees.

"How do we reverse this thing?" Jack asked, sitting up again.

"I'm not sure we can." Janet said, frankly. "To be honest, I'm surprised the fetus is as healthy as it seems to be. Not to mention the best of you…"

Sam and Jack were giving her blank looks now. "This is WAY out of my league." She continued. "I'm just throwing blind guesses around at this point."

Janet watched them and realized that they had a lot on their minds at the moment. While she wanted to discuss their rather limited options for the forthcoming birth, she realized that they were in no shape to discuss it at the moment. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She said, giving them a moment alone to deal with the news.

She left and they sat in silence for a few moments.

Jack cleared his throat. "So…when were you going to mention this?"

"I wasn't sure." She admitted. "And…I did take a pregnancy test. It was negative."

He took a deep breath. "So, you decided to deal with it by yourself."

She looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Jack…I…" She looked down at her fingers and bit the inside of her cheek. "I didn't want you to be disappointed."

"Sam…why would I have been disappointed?"

"Jack, when I nearly lost Grace, you were…I don't know…I can't describe it, but…" She said, her eyes releasing a few of the tears that she had withheld. "I…I vowed that I never wanted to see you hurt like that again."

"Sam…" He said, making her look at him. "We're married. For better or worse and all that stuff. We never have to go through that kind of stuff alone again."

She gave him a brave smile and nodded. "I'm sorry. But it hurt…so bad…"

"C'mere." He said, scooting over on the hospital bed with his arm outstretched to welcome her into his embrace.

She got up onto the bed and cuddled up to him. A few moments later, they were both silently in one another's arms, thinking about their situation. Suddenly, Jack groaned.

"What?" She asked, concerned.

He took his arm from around Sam and got out of the bed. "I gotta go to the bathroom…again."

Sam chuckled in spite of herself.

"What?"

"Nothing." She said, trying to stifle her giggles.

"Hey, it's not funny! I've had to go at least twenty times in the last hour!"

"Welcome to pregnancy." She said, with an amused smile on her lips.

"Hmph!" He replied, hurrying into the infirmary bathroom.


	7. Relationships

"Well, I don't see any reason for General O'Neill not to be able to go home." Janet said, after a week in the infirmary and a checkup.

"Thank you!" He said, standing up.

"However, this will get hard to explain in a few months." She said, suggesting that perhaps Jack would be returning to the infirmary sooner than his due date.

"We know, Doc, but…in the mean time…I don't have to be here anymore!"

Janet nodded, hesitantly.

"Great." He said, hurrying out of the infirmary.

Sam followed him with a small, insecure smile. "Thanks, Janet."

"I want him in here every week for a checkup. We don't know how this is going to affect him."

Sam nodded. "I know."

"And hang in there, okay?"

Sam smiled. "We've always been there for each other. That shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you sure?" Janet asked, voicing Sam's own questions.

"Sure." She said, faltering a little.

"Okay. Call me if you need anything."

She nodded. "I will."

--

"So…what do you want to do with your newfound freedom?" Sam asked, trying to be cheerful.

"Can we just go home?"

"Home? Sure…" She said, taking a deep breath.

"What?"

"Nothing…"

"Sam, that was a 'something' deep breath."

"You bolted out of there just to go home?"

"And you didn't?"

"No, I didn't."

"Look, Sam…what's really on your mind? This…pregnancy?"

"No." She said, quickly.

"Then that's exactly what's bothering you." He said, an eyebrow raised.

"What makes you say that?"

"Sam, when you answer a question that quickly, that's EXACTLY what's bothering you."

She turned on the engine and began driving to their house. "I don't want to talk right now."

"Well, sorry, Sam…but my last marriage failed when I didn't want to talk." He said heatedly.

"Are you suggesting that I am having doubts about our marriage?" She threw back. She returned her focus to the road before uttering some quiet words on her mind. "Or are you telling me that you are?"

"Sam, I love you. I am not having second thoughts about our marriage."

"Jack, it all happened so fast…are we sure that…that we have the foundation to withstand this?"

"FAST?" He roared. "Seven years is FAST?"

"That's not what I meant. And you know it." She said, clutching the steering wheel so that her knuckles turned white.

"Sam, what am I supposed to do? Tell you that I don't want to be pregnant any more than you want me to be? Because that's exactly what's going on here. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of say in the matter."

"Well, I don't know…"

"NEITHER DO I!" He thundered as they reached the freeway.

A single tear slipped down Sam's cheek as she merged onto the freeway. Jack saw it, and instantly softened.

"Sam…I…"

She didn't respond.

"I didn't mean…"

"I guess the fact that neither of us knows what to do is the one thing we have in common right now." She whispered.

The rest of the drive was silent.


End file.
